EXOCONCEPT takes a distinct position on personal watercraft

Of the various water toys for big boys that were unveiled at last week's Cannes Boat Show, one of the more intriguing was the EXO, from French company EXOCONCEPT. Perhaps the best way of describing it would be to say that it's like an electric Jet Ski, but the rider lies down on top of it in a prone position, instead of sitting on it.

The EXO is similar in concept to the Silveira Group's Green Samba, a prototype electric watercraft that riders were intended to crouch/kneel on the back of - unfortunately the company now appears to be out of business, or at the very least has no current website.

Unlike the Green Samba, which was clearly aimed at adrenaline junkies with a reported top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), the EXO is intended more to provide yacht owners or renters at water parks with relatively gentle fun - it maxes out at 31 mph (50 km/h).

The EXO is available in a reinforced ABS model (which comes in a choice of four colors), or a snazzy-looking carbon fiber version. The ABS weighs in at 29 kilograms (64 lbs) without batteries, while the carbon tips the scales at just 19 (42 lbs). The addition of either four or six racks of lithium iron phosphate batteries bumps those weights up by 20 and 30 kilos (44 and 66 lbs) respectively.

Depending on how wealthy buyers are and what they plan on using the watercraft for, they can choose from 3.5, 4.5 or 7 kilowatt-hour motors. The choice of motor will have a marked effect on the batteries' runtime, which sits between one and two-and-a-half hours.

EXOCONCEPT's Erick Sebban told Gizmag that the company has already taken orders for carbon fiber models, which should be delivered by the end of the year. It will begin taking orders for the ABS model at the Paris Boat Show in December, and ought to be delivering those within the first quarter of 2012. Prices for the ABS start at EUR 7,290 (US$9,975), while buyers of the carbon should expect to pay at least EUR 19,580 ($26,792).